School Bus Tragedy: Tragedies only widen the scope for corruption; No lessoons learnt

The tragic death of seven year old Shruti, a second standard student of Zion Matriculation HSS, Chennai while returning home in her school bus last Wednesday, has sent shock waves among the parents in the state. This incident and two other similar shocking happenings - the Kumbakonam school inferno (2004) and Vedaranyam school van tragedy (in which nine little children and a young teacher died in 2009) are perhaps the worst tragedies witnessed by the state in the recent past. All the three tragedies have apparently happened due to the callousness of many persons, including the school management and the officialdom. The system of safety and security for school children has failed somewhere.

Unfortunately, tragedies of these kinds, instead of serving as eye-openers to the society at large, have only widened the scope for corruption and harassment by the officialdom. The way in which the officialdom reacted to these three incidents statewide, has exposed two harsh facts - eyes of officials open up only when a tragedy strikes, that too temporarily; the spirit of concern and anguish are exhibited mainly to create news and satisfy the public. After a momentary fuss, everything goes back to square one.

And, another nasty fact is that the tragedies, instead of making the officials implement the rules with all seriousness and sincerity, enable them create fear psychosis among the stakeholders and demand more and more bribe.

After the Kumbakonam inferno, the education department went on an inspection spree, checked buildings for safety and carried out a lot of other things. The show lasted only for a few months. The only change after the inferno was that the officialdom started harassing school managements and attempted to extract more in their dealings. Even now, one could definitely find unsafe buildings here and there. Lack of fire safety in schools is generously allowed as officialdom 'extracts' more from the managements citing Kumbakonam inferno and rigidity of rules. Arrogant flouting of rules with regard to safety are tolerated for a few thousand rupees.

The hues and cries over the Vedaranyam van tragedy were similar. The authorities in most of the districts had summoned the school managements to parade the vehicles at a common place giving the shortest notice. They checked the papers and test drove some and went on giving interviews to the press stating that they had taken steps for a safer travel to the children. No one asks how a few hours of mass checking could ensure safety. Same thing is now happening after Shruti's death.

The little children studying in Government schools, who have been supplied with free bus passes are virtually travelling on foot boards. No one bothers about their safety because they are travelling free of cost.

Apart from the vehicles, the condition of the roads play a major role in causing accidents. But, the Government or the officials will not even talk about this. Overspeeding, reckless driving, talking on mobiles are all causative factors. But, the officials are interested in just throwing a show by checking the vehicles.

Except a few, most of the schools are run purely to mint money. They will easily strike deals with the greedy officials. The cost of such deals will be ultimately passed on to the parents.  And tragedies make the poor parents the ultimate sufferers, by all means.

Let Shruti's death be a real eye-opener. Officials should be forced to act in such a way that school managements and all other stakeholders are automatically made to fall in line and pay sincere attention to safety at all times.